


A Religious Witch?! How Incredible!

by fairyeyes



Category: Original Work
Genre: Demons, F/M, Magic, Multi, Religious Content, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25285333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyeyes/pseuds/fairyeyes
Summary: A water witch named Lilith Moonfell loses her mother due to illness at a young age. She ends up meeting an older man of the cloth in her grief and the two fall in love. They decide to run away and they get separated when they are attacked by bandits. She travels to look for him while avoiding the temptations of a demon named Alrath who wants to have a contract with her after saving them.As she travels, she meets all sorts of people and opens up her mind that it takes many different people to make the world go round.
Kudos: 3





	1. Episode One: Over the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone! i'm here with a story that i've been working for a few months now! i'm just trying to see how well this will work! let me know if you enjoy this story!
> 
> just to let you know, this story will be updated every Friday! check out my [twitter](http://twitter.com/basicbaka) to get notified for updates!

“Let us bury this woman with the leaves that fall from its trees.” The man of the cloth announced to the grieving crowd. Lilith Moonfell did her best to not let her sadness overwhelm her but she wished her older brother Emery was there. Lilith didn’t quite understand the circumstances - the only thing she knew about it was it took her brother and other young men of age away. Everyone...but this man of the cloth, the man who spoke at her mother’s funeral as though he knew her. “I realize that you witches don’t celebrate this religion of mine - I am only giving my condolences and an attempt to reach an olive branch to you in this time of grievance.”

Then he stepped down from the podium he hijacked. A lot of Lilith’s family members jeered at him and told him to leave and wanted him to step off.

“Go away! You’re not of this family! You’re not even a witch!”

“How dare you!”

“Does your religion not know respect?! Go away!”

“You dishonor her!”

Aunts and uncles, as her grandparents wept, jeered in their place. Her father especially was quiet but that’s when Lilith knew not to do anything - anytime he was quiet, he was angry. This man may have tried to extend an olive branch but he merely made the situation worse. However, Lilith may have been the only one who noticed his smile as he tried to blend into the crowd. There may have been a moment that slowed down long enough for them to meet each other’s eyes. Her pink eyes met blue ones and curiosity was planted in her mind about who this man was and why he tried to speak for her mother… and a man who smiled when he failed.

Family members kept booing him and Lilith could feel only her curiosity grow as they tried to shield both her and her little brother. She wanted to know why he decided to come to her mother’s burial. It wasn’t their religion in this cold town of Frostkin and more than anything, as a representation of a growing religion, he wasn’t good at that either. The majority of this town were witches. There were generations of families who lived and loved without it and didn’t seem to mind the new religion when they built a church there. They were quiet and they kept to themselves until this one moved in. He decided to try to recruit others and to some extent, it worked.

Her father, when he wasn’t busy, warned Lilith not to go there. Henrik, Lilith’s younger brother, was like Emery - he wasn’t as adept at magic so he had to work with his father as much as his little body could do. Lilith was the only one who was considered a ‘proper’ witch in this immediate family. Even though she would rather help this poor family, poorer now without her mother, her father fought to ensure that she studied and to gain a proper education. This child of ten years old only could wait two more years until she could apply for a mentor. Until then, Lilith was to study in the family library.

And that’s where Lilith ended up in the days after they buried her. There was no choice but to move on. It was hard to focus on her studies even though it’s imperative as a witch - she had to learn the moon phases and understand its relevance to her power. She found herself thinking about the man in the cloth, one of the few young men that stayed behind.

She remembered the conversation she had with her father. She really wanted to understand the man’s point of trying to take advantage of these people’s grief to convert them. Lilith would still agree with her family that it was not his place - but rather, she wanted to understand why.

“Don’t bother with trash like him, child,” her father stated. “Focus on your studies and we will get you a proper mentor.”

But that wasn’t an answer. Luckily, when her father and little brother worked, they were far enough away where Lilith could leave the house and come back without them knowing she left. At times, this is what she did when she wanted to take a break from her studies - sneak out and walk around Frostkin. She had some coins in her pocket that she would receive from her father or change from going to the stores that she saved up from before to spend on things she wanted or snacks that she craved sometimes.

When she glanced at the clock before her, it’s about lunchtime. Perhaps it would be good to take a break and maybe see what that man of the cloth was up to. She hated that her curiosity took over her so quickly and so hard - but it couldn’t be helped. If she didn’t listen to it, she wouldn’t be able to study as much as she could.

Lilith looked around the house to make sure that there wasn’t anyone there. Once she gained that confirmation, she felt relieved and grabbed her traveler’s cloak. It was the last gift her brother gave her before he left for the war. It was almost a dark red cloak that she always wore even in town. In a way, it was like her brother held her hand as she traveled around. Somehow, she could feel his essence warm her body up. The cloak almost reached the ground, but it could have Lilith been shorter, but her traveling shoes were almost worn.

Once she left her home, she tried to remember the church’s direction. At one point, everyone in the town was invited to the grand opening when she was much younger. She tried to push the thought out of her head. That was a time when her mother was alive and she was way more open-minded than her father.

But because she had become sad, she decided it best to just ask someone for directions. They were kind enough to tell her and Lilith managed to find it quick enough. She stood in front of it and was taken in by its beauty. It hadn’t been there for long and certainly; she would’ve remembered the noise construction made. Had a grand building like this always been there? Lilith was so taken in, she didn’t notice the man that she saw a few days ago staring out to her, with quite an unsaintly grin.


	2. Episode Two: A Forbidden Wish

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the holy man said suddenly. He surprised her so much that Lilith jumped. She wanted to hide behind her long blue hair so much so that she grabbed her hair and ran her fingers through it. Her hair was pretty wavy, almost curly, as it was long. She didn’t want to cut her hair as it was the only reminder of her mother. Her mother’s old room had been stripped of its familiar settings except for a few trinkets she managed to keep behind her father’s back. She wanted to focus entirely on her hair, the memory of her mother and wanted to ignore the man before her.

The holy man was very handsome to her. He had a head full of black hair with blue eyes that seemed to go through anything. She didn’t want to look at those eyes again. She made the mistake of doing that before during the eulogy and that’s why she was there currently. It’s his fault… and she didn’t want to repeat that mistake. She focused on the grand building and looked at how intricate the design was. There were winged creatures on there - beautiful women with grand clothing and wings. They seemed to worship the door they surrounded - that the man stood outside in and she wanted to not get the meaning behind this.

When she didn’t answer, the man chuckled. “Oh, you’re shy, aren’t you? Come, come inside the church. We welcome all sorts!” He seemed a lot less strange than he was at the eulogy. Was it because her family wasn’t around? He reached out to her and tried to invite her in but Lilith was unsure. She wasn’t even supposed to be here. She was supposed to study. The young girl felt ‘bad’ in her stomach. It felt awful, she shouldn’t be here but here she was… The fire of sadness started to crawl all over her and she could feel her body become warm. She could feel herself grow anxious.

And then her stomach growled. The way he chuckled softly made her stomach feel warm inside and soon something started to flutter inside of it. Lilith wanted to avert her eyes but when she did, she noticed the windows were stained with strange paint. It made the glass itself really pretty but the young girl wasn’t aware of the pictures’ different meanings. However, that didn’t change the situation at hand.

“Oh, my dear, did you skip lunch to come all this way to view my church?” He never gave her a chance to answer. “Come follow me, child. I’ll be able to feed you. The church is always ready to feed those who are hungry after all.” He reached out his hand and Lilith took it. When she took it, she could feel her hands become clammy, and yet she could feel that the older man’s hand that’s not just dry but almost scaly. And yet, she didn’t know who else to accept. There didn’t seem to be anyone else in the church at that moment so she had no other choice but to follow him.

 _“You are in the wrong place, my dear,_ ” a voice echoed seemingly out of nowhere. Lilith turned her head when she heard that but couldn’t find who had said that. It really did sound like it was someone within the church as it echoed the same as it did with his voice. However, the man seemed to notice her, but not the voice.

“Come, don’t be frightened by our story. I’m sure you witches have your own stories. Let me go get you some food.”

As the couple walked through the church itself, she saw many vases with various figures except one - that of a man. He didn’t look like anything or anyone she had come across in her studies so she was curious about it. However, the more they walked towards wherever the food was, the more Lilith would compare this church to almost a castle simply because of how large it was. She certainly expected this church to be big but not this big. Lilith worried that if she didn’t have this man to guide her, how lost would she be right now?

It didn’t take much longer to arrive at their destination when the man-made it to their eating quarters. He led her to a seat on an empty bench - it seemed that there were multiple benches for others to sit. However, he probably chose this particular seat out of convenience since it was right by the door they just entered through.

“Normally, I’m not allowed to bring parishioners back here - this is mostly reserved for us while they and the others have a loftier space. But I understand you might be still grieving right now.” Lilith didn’t respond - not like she got a chance to. “No matter, no matter. I’ll make sure you’re fed. Just wait a little longer if you don’t mind.”

After Lilith took a seat, he disappeared behind another door that was close to them. Lilith was surprised that she hadn’t noticed and slightly jumped at the closed noise. While she was alone, she took the time to look around some more as this was a place she hadn’t been to before. As expected, the benches and utensils were made out of smooth wood that retained its pattern. Sometimes when her dad took both her and Henrik out to the taverns, she could see the wood pieces stick out and if she put her elbows on it a certain way, Lilith could feel it poke her.

But not this bench. Everything felt super smooth and she idly wondered why that’s so - was it smoothed by magic or human science? Lilith had learned in her studies that magic is intentional - as long as she intended it, the spell would work to her feelings. However, with human science, she started to learn that humans may have intended something, sometimes, it doesn’t always as it originally intended. Her brother Emery used to say to her, “Say what you mean and mean what you say when you cast your spells,” and Lilith took those words to heart. So, she couldn’t help but wonder why this particular bench was so smooth. Did this place get special treatment?

It didn’t take very much longer for the older man to come out with some bread, cheese, a meat Lilith didn’t recognize, and some fruit. He did seem a little annoyed when he came out but once he saw Lilith, he smiled once more. A gentle one - a different one than she saw earlier. He wasn’t even gone for that long but she imagined something must’ve happened behind that closed door. He placed it on the table in front of Lilith.

“Oh, I had forgotten to properly introduce myself. My name is Deacon Giles. What’s your name?”

Lilith responded to his smile with her own. “My name is Lilith Moonfell!” The other simply nodded. Lilith reached over to her food and tried the combination before her. She was surprised by the combination of the different meat with cheese, bread, and fruit. She looked to him to see if he had been eating - but he just sat there and watched her eat.

When he seemed to realize she stared at him, Deacon finally spoke. “So, what brings you over to my church? It has been a few days since I was there at the eulogy.” No apologies for hijacking the podium. “I assume you’re one of the few who appreciated my speech… I can imagine your relatives don’t know you’re here.” He chuckled softly. “I was starting to think it was a bad idea… They say I’m fairly young to be a priest, but numbers in my old town had grown just because of me.”

After Lilith swallowed some food, as she listened intently, she couldn’t stop herself from blurting out her next question. “How old are you then, Mr. Deacon?”

Deacon gently laughed. “Oh, there’s no need to call me _Mr._ Deacon. Just call me Deacon. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Oh… but we just introduced each other! Isn’t it too soon?”

“Probably… I’m only seventeen years old, so most people still consider me a child.”

“Seventeen?!” Lilith had thought he was much older - based on his demeanor, his words, and vocabulary. Granted, Emery is the same age as he is but… they’re so different! “My big brother Emery is seventeen but he had to leave… I don’t understand… Why did you get to stay?” Lilith didn’t mean to yell and to echo in this room. The priest didn’t seem surprised by her sudden outburst. Lilith felt bad because it really did seem that Deacon was older than even Emery. It would make sense why he wouldn’t be able to leave… he would’ve been too old but he’s the same age as Emery… Lilith could feel tears prick her eyes.

“I’m sorry… But it’s because I’m a priest. All you need to know is that the kingdom wants Frostkin because of you witches. They want your power and they want this land.”

Lilith didn’t know why there was a war. Was this really it? “A-are you sure? I asked my father and he said I shouldn’t focus on that ‘waste of time’. But that ‘waste of time’ took away Emery!” She tried to calm herself down but by now, she stood up and everything in the church could hear everything she felt in her heart, especially the frustration. “Why did you stay then if you’re Emery’s age?”

Again, Deacon stayed quiet until he felt Lilith had finished her rant. Whatever smile he had on before, it was gone. He watched her get up and grab his cloak to understand why they took away her brother, but not him. However, as usual, Deacon had an answer for that. He gently brushed her off of his cloak and smoothed it out with ease.

“It’s because I’m a holy man.”

“And Emery…?”

All Deacon could do was shrug. It wasn’t a careless shrug by any means. Unfortunately, it was the way of the world. He didn’t want to leave her with just a shrug though. “Your brother, unfortunately, had been shipped to the frontlines because he’s an able-bodied young man. I got to stay… because I’m a holy man.” He let out a sigh. “I know it’s not fair to young girls like you. But...if you want, you can pretend I’m your big brother.”

“What? N-no one can replace Emery!”

“I’m not asking for you to replace your brother! Heavens, no! All I’m asking for is for you to give me the love you wouldn’t be able to show him otherwise as long as he’s out at that pointless war.”

“I don’t think my father would allow me… Plus, I’m going to get a mentor soon. If you know I’m a witch, then you should know that much!”

“Oh, no worries, dear Lilith. You can visit me during your free time. My door is always open. But if your dear Emery were here, I’m sure he’d say the same thing.”

A lot of thoughts flew through her head. It sounded like a good idea. When she would get a mentor, she knew her father would be especially strict. He only left her alone when he and Henrik worked during the day but he would talk to her about what she had studied. The only time she would probably have free time is whenever the mentor wanted to take a break. However, in the end, Lilith nodded.

Ever since Emery had been taken away, she felt alone. She always found herself starting to fear things she wouldn’t normally - being alone, the night, the darkness of the night, and worse… she couldn’t even walk past the room where her mother died. But she had to if she wanted to visit the rest of the household rooms. It scared her. It terrified her.

And even though this holy man, this Deacon, said he wanted to be her brother, she couldn’t help but feel safe and mature around him. He never treated her as a child, even though he called her such. He was gentle and the food he gave her was delicious. She managed to eat the rest of her lunch while Deacon kept her company. She would glance at him at times and realized that sometimes, her vision blurred but she thought it was because of her tears. Truly, Lilith missed Emery a lot and at this point, Deacon was the only one around his age in this town.

When she finally finished, he directed her back to the entrance of the church and wished her a blessing. And as she got closer to her home, she realized that maybe she had stayed a bit too long. She tried to run but found that she got tired quickly - but she wanted to beat her father and Henrik coming home. She already risked her being caught by the townspeople recognizing her - though most of the time, they probably wouldn’t question a child running around outside. Unlike bigger towns, Frostkin was too small to have a school and the other towns were too far for them to travel. As such, it was dependent on the older witches, when the witch child became of age, to mentor them further but before then, it was the parents’ responsibility to educate their witch child as much as they could before they could be turned over to the mentor.

But thankfully, she made it there on time when she realized that the two still had not returned. She let go of a sigh of relief and took the time to relax her beating heart.

Did she do something bad? Lilith couldn’t forget about the odd voice that came out of nowhere, but maybe that was her guilty conscience. Her curiosity about the charming Deacon had been satisfied and even more so, he became a temporary stand-in for Emery. She didn’t know if he would ever come back home alive and she released her tears. Lilith missed him so dearly. He was kind to her and was there for her and Henrik when their mother was dying. When they both didn’t understand, Emery was there.

And when Lilith didn’t understand why Emery had to leave, Deacon was there. She just never realized how quickly she actually fell for him.


	3. Episode Three: As the Years Blurred

Lilith couldn’t get used to her glasses. How could anyone in her family predict that her eyesight had become so poor over the past two years? Although Henrik joked that she ‘burned’ her vision away because of all the studying she did in the family’s library. Lilith didn’t think it wasn’t that funny, but her father did. She didn’t want to wear the glasses that her father chose for her but it’s only what they could afford. They felt heavy but the man at the store ensured that she would get used to it.

The summer brought her boredom since she got the glasses. Her father gave her a break from her studies as this would be her twelfth birthday. This would be the year that she would have to get a mentor. The idea scared her a bit because, after her mother’s death, she cut contact with a lot of the ‘friends’ she had. She wondered if it was because she decided to go to the church more often than being with them. But Lilith would realize that they weren’t really friends in the first place.

She would have a lot to say about how everything transpired during the finality of her mother’s illness and the funeral - none of them could even show up. It hurt when she would see them in the streets of Frostkin afterward and they tried to pretend nothing happened. Lilith couldn’t pretend and she couldn’t hide her hurt. Eventually, they shifted apart - especially when she talked to Deacon about it, he guided her to separate herself from them.

And so, she skipped happily to the church to show Deacon the new glasses she received. Some townsfolk recognized her, usually the older folks, and said their hellos. They would eventually get used to seeing her pass by their shops and Lilith would be polite enough to say her hellos back. She grew more confident as she frequently went to the church and somehow, she managed to keep it a secret from what remained of her family.

Even though he still hadn’t returned yet, she had finally received a letter or two from Emery. She had shown it to Deacon but even though her brother promised more letters, the older boy told her that she needs to understand that it’s easy for Emery to promise all these things but it’s not a guarantee. He hadn’t believed that Emery was alive so receiving his letter made Lilith proud she had faith in that.

On this day, though, Lilith took the usual route to the church and noticed how different her eyesight is with the glasses and without. She couldn’t help but try to constantly see the differences and it caused her to get a little dizzy from time to time.

Once she reached the church doors, she used what strength she had to push it open and was greeted by a nun she had gotten to know.

“Oh, dear Lilith!” She said as she helped her open the doors. She always pretended that it was solely Lilith. “You’re here...again. Are you here to see Priest Deacon?” The young water witch always felt surprised being around this nun - Emeline was her name. She seemed to be older than Deacon, much older than Lilith at least, and she always questioned why Deacon wanted to be alone with the young water witch. “Oh, you have glasses now. They seem rather big on you.”

The young water witch nodded her head quickly. She wanted to answer her but then Priest Deacon showed up to the scene. He touched Emeline’s hand and the older woman glared at him. “Dear Emeline, why do you always try to keep our Lilith at the door? She’s one of our most loyal guests here.”

“No doubt, but she’s still a child. She’s only here to show you her new glasses. Don’t they look good on her?” Deacon nodded and seemed to ignore her implications as he reached out for Lilith’s hand which she gratefully took. This was almost a ritual at this point - Lilith would show up and Emeline would try to find a way to get rid of her almost. Lilith wondered if the nun actually liked her at all…

And then Deacon would have to ‘rescue’ her from the nun. Deacon had explained to her at one point that he had more power than the nuns - so no matter what they spoke against, they would buckle under his command. Lilith still had never learned how this young man became a priest so quickly but anytime she’d ask, Deacon would ignore the question. She’d ask Emeline but she’d just give her the cold shoulder. Other nuns showed up but Lilith mainly interacted with Emeline and she was always kind to Lilith.

Unless Deacon was involved, but Lilith couldn’t understand… and Deacon would always tell Lilith that Emeline is jealous. After all, as a nun, they are to take a vow of celibacy but priests could have a family if they so wanted to. And this day wasn’t any different.

Once Deacon showed up and took her hand, Emeline reacted. She wrinkled her nose and she furrowed her brows. Even Lilith could sense the disgust and anger from the nun’s green eyes, but she didn’t understand why. Why would she be jealous of this scene? Why would she be so angry? Lilith wanted to understand but Deacon moved Lilith's smaller body towards him while trying to avoid touching her too much. She always thought Deacon was a gentleman in this aspect. In her experience, older men would always try to touch her back, even lightly.

There were some parishioners in the church and they didn’t say anything in particular. If they did, it would always be towards Deacon himself and they would only acknowledge her when she stood out to them or wanted to say hello. Usually, the elderly would always dote on her and worry about her father.

She always had to ask them politely not to tell them about these meetings and they would often smile and nod.

“Oh, I understand,” they would say, “Sometimes you need to turn to different beliefs to find comfort…” That’s all they would say. They always seemed to accept the fact that a witch like her showed up although lately, it did seem that more regular humans started to show up in town.

Soon, they would reach their spot - it was a garden that Emeline started when they first arrived in town. There always seemed to be different flowers throughout the four seasons but Lilith always loved them. She would ask Deacon about what they were but he never knew. She wanted to ask Emeline but Deacon never gave her that chance, which she thought was always strange.

“So what is it you wanted to show me?” Any thought of anyone else dissipated when they reached their garden. Lilith turned around and saw his smile that always made her feel funny inside. His gleaning blue eyes twinkled in the summer sun and his black hair seemed flawless.

“You didn’t notice it on my face? Didn’t you hear what Emeline said? I have glasses now! See! They’re kind of big though.”

Deacon chuckled good-naturedly. “Yes, I do see them and they look really nice on you. It makes your pink eyes stand out more.”

“Eh! Is that what you think? I wish I could see without them! They feel kind of heavy but the man at the shop said I’ll get used to it!”

“He’s correct! It’ll take some time! I’m sure you’ve noticed some of the other priests around here wear glasses too. Even Emeline!”

“I suppose so. Henrik said that it’s because I study so much but the church is also so dark. The torch we use does sometimes hurt my eyesight when I suddenly pick it up.”

Deacon laughed a little bit. “Oh, Henrik is always joking around, isn’t he? What does your father think?”

“Hm, my father said that he wished he could’ve gotten me a better pair but it’s all we can afford. It seems that a lot of things are getting more expensive. I don’t know if we even have enough for a mentor anymore… No offense, but there’s a lot of non-magical humans coming to town nowadays. I’m starting to see less and less witches these days.”

“It could count on why your friends didn’t show up.”

Lilith glared and released a “tch!” sound when she clicked her tongue. She glared at something invisible and then turned back to him. “Nah, those people are mean to me. I tried to talk to them about them but they didn’t want to hear anything of it. I don’t know, Deacon… You always tell me how mature I am but I still feel like a child.”

“You’re only eleven, right? It’s natural to still have bits of your childish tendencies. Don’t rush it. You’re perfect the way you are.”

Lilith flushed red under that comment. As usual, she hid behind her hair and played with the tips. Some threads of hair came out when she stroked it and looked away but she cast them out to the wind. She can hear Deacon laugh gently, as he always did, which caused her to blush even more. Over the years, she noticed that Deacon had always been clean-shaven - unlike the ones around town who allowed their beards to grow. He always seemed to groom himself to keep himself attractive or at least clean-shaven. Emeline told her at one time that since he’s the priest of this church, he’s the ‘face’ of the church.

Over the two years she visited it, she realized that the beliefs of this church seemed to resonate with her. In this new religion, Deacon explained that because her mother was a good person, she will be under the care of the goddess and the more Lilith faithfully attends the service, the more ‘comforted’ her mother will be.

Neploni, even though it seemed to exclusively for humans, was a belief of acceptance and community. Deacon had promised that even though she doesn’t come from organized religion, she is still welcomed to join the Neploni sect of Frostkin. From what she knew, she didn’t grow up with a strict sense of religion - but she has been quickly turning away from her spiritual beliefs. Time had taught her that even though every witch’s spell has an intention, it doesn’t matter under the eyes of the human God, Samher. As long as she accepts His intention to love all those, as long as she’s a good person, then she’s absolved of her sins. Lilith fell easily into the belief thanks to Deacon.

And that’s exactly what Emeline was afraid of.


	4. Episode Four: Revelations Under Demons

Emeline grew up as an orphan and she was indoctrinated to the coven of nuns when she was young. As a young human girl, she saw first-hand how scared the humans are of witches. They had magic, after all, and supposedly made contracts with demons in the past to get it. She wasn’t sure if she fully believed in that, though, especially after living in Frostkin for a few years. Regardless, she had to uphold the credence of the nuns - help those who need help.

And behind her large, round glasses, through her equally large green eyes, she knew Lilith Moonfell needed help. From afar, it would be considered cute that she was close to Priest Deacon especially since she followed him like a puppy. Most of the other nuns dismissed her concerns because she eventually realized that they would be boastful about a witch’s conversion to this new religion. She couldn’t depend on them then and even less so before.

“It is rather strange that Priest Deacon allows this young witch to follow him but one less heathen in this world… it doesn’t matter, Emeline. Why are you so worried?”

“He’ll reject her soon. A good-looking man like that wouldn’t waste his time with a child.”

“Why are you wasting time? Get the candles burning! Stop your gossip! Priest Deacon is doing a world of service here! Haven’t you noticed there are more human parishioners here?”

“Emeline, I know you’re dead set on becoming a Mother Superior one day, but this isn’t the way to go about it. Don’t ruin your advancements for something small like this.”

Emeline would eventually hate it when Lilith came over to the church. Others continued to see it as a good thing as time went along since she was one of the first witches to convert. The day Lilith showed up with her glasses is what especially drove her mad. For a while, the couple had at least interacted with each other in the foyer of the church so she could at least end their interactions quicker than she knew Priest Deacon would’ve liked to. However, lately, they’ve been going to the flower garden - by his request of course.

The nun tried her best to find duties around that area to watch them closely but the others were wise to her plot and one of them confronted her. Amylin was her name and she was relatively younger than Emeline but she would’ve been considered someone she would have to report to.

“What are you doing here, Emeline? We don’t tend to the garden in the afternoon. Is there anything wrong with it?”

Her sudden voice and echo surprised Emeline. She had tried to peer outside to the garden to see and tried to eavesdrop the conversation between the priest and this child. But once she heard the other’s voice, she hopped to face the younger woman. She couldn’t help but make another disgusted face.

“Emeline, you can’t keep doing this.” Amylin sighed and gave her almost an amused smile on her face. “Priest Deacon is doing good - and you know he is - into converting that little witch to this religion. You’re worrying too much. He’s too handsome to want anything to do with that child - however, I never thought he could use his good looks to do so.” The nun seemed to be bemused by Emeline’s peeping and eavesdropping. If anything, it was as though the couple was a natural thing to occur.

“Is he really, Amylin? You know that he has been transferred from Hegathe not that long ago - have you ever thought about why? Have you looked into it?”

“Of course I have. All they said is that he’s a budding priest who needs to spread His word to a poor town like Frostkin. I didn’t look into it after that.”

“Why not? We do an extensive background check for the nuns here. We do more of a background check for _parishioners_ especially since we’re starting to adopt children into our choir. Why didn’t we do that for Priest Deacon?”

Amylin then suddenly turned cold. With her dark pink eyes, she bore into Emeline with a knowing glare. Emeline knew the reason, but she only wanted the other nun to speak it into existence. If it’s the reason she’s thinking of, Emeline would fully know the real obstacle she would have to face to protect that child. Unless… they were going to do…

“His father is Head Priest Ignace.”

A small congregation of on-looking parishioners passed by them in silence as she harshly whispered his name - a ritual that always seemed to happen whenever that name is uttered. They walked behind Amyline and Emeline could feel her anger rise up. She couldn’t even hide her scrunched face and tightening fist that she could see her knuckles turn pale. As far as she knew, nothing of that nature happened. She didn’t want to go past that thought for if she did… she wouldn’t be able to contain her anger. And that’s what made the situation worse. She could tell that the priest is falling for the witch, especially one so young and so innocent.

“Emeline…” Amylin harshly whispered again. “You know the penalty for going against an ordained priest. Don’t you dare do anything and I mean, **anything** that could get our church doors closed. Do you even realize where the nearest nunnery is? Because that’s where you’ll go - you’ll go to the lowest level and start from scratch if you accuse Priest Deacon! ”

Once the parishioners were out of Amyline’s earshot, that even the echos couldn’t carry it, Emeline got closer to the nun where she could almost see her breath on her round glasses. However, the fury Emeline had made her almost blind.

“So if you know all of this, why haven’t you mentioned this to him? Why do we run around in secrecy and _hope_ that he wouldn’t do anything to her?”

Amylin gave her a look just as angry; even though she said her name, her anger wouldn’t be topped by this arrogant woman before her. “He’s the reason why we have a church here _at all_. If we displease him, then we don’t have a church to go to. We have to go to some other town that may have heard about our true intention!”

“Oh? Oh? Priest Deacon mentioned this before to me but what is this ‘true intention’? Is it so grand and vast that converting witches isn’t enough? What more could his father want?”

Then Amyline looked around to make sure there truly was no one there. She was starting to sweat from the intensity of the argument and grabbed Emeline’s sleeve and tried to go to a more private sector of the church. Because of the heightened activity, she didn’t want to risk any of the new parishioners warning them.

“I’m breaking so many rules right now, Emeline, but you’re so incessant. You’ve been a thorn on my side since you’ve arrived. You always demand to know why when you don’t understand the severity of such things. And frankly, I’m tired of it. You need to understand that rules are there for a reason and you don’t always need to know why. It’s annoying and frankly, there’s no time to explain everything! We have a library. You can study! Do your own legwork!” 

Emeline winced at being pulled but she bit her tongue and tried her best to not respond.

“But the truth… the truth of this whole thing… They’re planning to crusade to these towns… to kill all the witches who haven’t been converted.”

The news caused Emeline to blink twice and even spewed more anger-laced toxicity.

“What…? I thought our duty was to **save** them amid this war…?”

Her voice was trying to raise its volume because she didn’t know how to react with this news. How could she? All her life in the nunnery, she was taught from day one that they were here to serve Samher’s kindness … to convince these witches these contracts with demons are not acceptable. They could repent and save their souls by turning to Samher… repent those contracts…

“You dolt! Of course we’re here to save them! This war is a smokescreen! This war is meant to make these witches’ defenses low… recruit those able-bodied young men to make them defenseless. When the time is right, start converting the witches to Samher’s word. If there’s not enough, well, you can figure it out from there unless you want me to waste my words further.”

Emeline was shocked. She had to put her hand over her mouth to make sure she didn’t scream out in horror the ultimate plan was. She had always thought that as nuns, it was their duty to help the settling humans who made their way through this booming country. Even though she didn’t understand witch culture, she knew that there would be some humans who needed the church to help guide them.

And yet, the horror that Amylin has told her, she didn’t know what she could do. Even after the two manage to separate, along with promising Amyline to never speak of this to anyone, she still decided to go back to the garden. She saw Lilith leave with a smile on her face - something wonderful must’ve happened to her.

Tears tore from her eyes as the young girl waved goodbye and she turned her head. Something wonderful must’ve happened to her but it’s not good in Emeline’s eyes.

It didn’t take much longer for Priest Deacon to come back out. He had almost a dazed look on his face and he would’ve been glowing if the child was his age.

He then turned his eyes to her and gave her a dazed smile. “She’s so sweet. She kissed me on the cheek so I surprised her with my own kiss… on the lips.” Once again, Emeline’s fists paled but she could feel her skin being torn at how tight she held. “Ah, it’s probably forbidden so don’t tell anyone, okay Emeline? I’ll make sure to tell the chef to give you extra sweets from now on if you keep this one secret!”

Emeline knew she couldn’t react. She knew her face held anger. He didn’t care. He knew who the hell he was and what true power he wielded there. It was certainly true that priests could have families and fall in love. Something she and the other nuns weren’t allowed to have - but this person whom he supposedly loves was a child.

Priest Deacon walked away and still didn’t say anything to her obvious anger. Whether he thought it was jealousy or if he knew he could get away with it, it didn’t matter. His power was truly incredible. However, Emeline wasn’t sure if she should even follow this faith anymore if such demonic plans and demons could roam under His church unscathed.


	5. Episode Five: Deep in the Dark

Her heartbeat was faster than she could run out of the church. Her blue hair flew in the wind and her bangs tried to cover her love-filled eyes and made her body even warmer from the inside out. Did she cross a line? There’s no way she did! She originally aimed for his cheek and all she wanted to do was to give him a small kiss… She had read somewhere that men of the cloth could have relations outside their faith and have families - but she didn’t dare to think she was that special to him. All she wanted was to kiss him! All she wanted to do is give him her goodbyes before she could leave. After all, it was time for her to get a mentor and to stop going to the church. She stopped in her trek when she found that it tired her out more quickly than it usually would. The feeling of her heart beating and slamming against her chest caused her to think about what would happen from now at the church. For the fact that she’s only a young child of ten years old to have her first kiss stolen like that, Lilith knew she crossed some sort of forbidden line.

So why did it feel so exciting? She grabbed her head and her large glasses nearly slipped off her face as the image replayed in her mind. The flowers surrounded him and gave him a heavenly glow. His black hair was almost the abyss that dragged her in and his eyes were the bait. The image brought a strange set of shivers around her body and she had to crouch down near to the ground to collect herself.

“D-deacon… he-he kissed me… I can’t believe h-he did that!” She softly spoke to herself as she tried to control her tears as she remembered what happened next.

She aimed for his cheek - it was a sweet kiss, but then he suddenly turned around and puckered up. Then he grabbed the back of her head and the two lips smashed against each other. Lilith didn’t know what to do in the situation and tried to pucker up but found she couldn’t under the strength of the older man’s. He pulled away just as quickly as he did it and Lilith couldn’t breathe. He smirked and placed his head close to hers. It was then Lilith felt a strange uncomfortable feeling that caused her to move back quickly to the point where she fell on the ground. She covered her lips with both of her hands. However, the more she stared at him, the more he smiled in a boyish way - the same way Emery did.

But Lilith never thought of Emery that way. This man who wanted to be the replacement for her brother kissed her the way couples did. Not even how family did, but how couples did - sometimes she’d see different people of different genders kiss each other in such a way but she didn’t think her first kiss would be with an older man. This was something she hadn’t seen before. She knew her mother was at least a few years younger than her father… but that was okay, wasn’t it? So, why did it feel so different from Priest Deacon?

She couldn’t deny her heart thumping against her chest to a point where she could hear it in her ears. She couldn’t ignore it if she tried. Her feelings soared as her feelings of comfort soured more but Lilith had to follow whatever her heart said; and it said that he could be her fated one. Lilith never got the chance to even think about stuff like that until she started to go to the church more frequently. Her interests in reading leisurely became more attuned to romantic than the studious books she was once interested in.

Lilith didn’t pay attention to how long she crouched down. Her mind still swirled around in her head as she reflected that kiss over and over. She couldn’t come into her real feelings - but she also knew her feelings already. It was a strange mix and it was a whirlwind of emotions for the eleven-year-old. Soon, she would have to leave the church and cater to the beliefs of her mentor. She learned a lot as she visited the church in the past two years. It was easy for Lilith to empathize with the humans in the stories Priest Deacon gave her.

“Hey, Lilith, what are you doing here?” The voice surprised Lilith as she suddenly realized how long she crouched down on the ground. She didn’t know how people avoided her as much as they could. Slowly, the young girl turned around and saw the surprised and shocked expressions of both her little brother and the infuriated expression on her father’s face.

But Lilith couldn’t answer. She never got a chance to answer as her father reached down and grabbed her by the nape of her cloak; although, he did grab her hair in the process. She tried to not bring attention to this situation. It probably wouldn’t be too strange since adults tended to be pretty rough towards their kids. It wasn’t an unusual sight but Lilith never felt such fear and such pain at the same time. Henrik tried to talk their father down but he gave Henrik one look and it made the boy quiet.

And what made Lilith disappointed in herself, even more, it wouldn’t have taken that much longer to reach home. She struggled but the more she struggled within his grip, the tighter he seemed to hold her. Finally, they entered the home and her father threw Lilith on the ground. Her large glasses fell and hit the ground. Thankfully, they didn’t break but Lilith felt the pain go through her tiny body. Her scalp hurt and Henrik immediately tried to take to her side.

“Henrik, you leave that child alone. Go wash up and start cooking dinner.”

“Father, you’re being harsh! Lilith just got the glasses, maybe they’re bothering her!” Lilith didn’t say a word and she even avoided eye contact with both her father and brother. “Right, Lilith? Didn’t you just go out for a snack?”

“Henrik, if you ever paid attention, you’d know why I’m upset.”

Lilith closed her blurry pink eyes and she tried to use her smaller brother’s body to possibly block their largely built man before them. Henrik was only eight years old at the time and Lilith had to pretend Henrik was Emery. Anytime her father got mad like this and Emery was around, he would immediately protect her. Oh, most children laughed this off as typical angry outbursts from their parents but it always seemed that the Moonfell children were frightened of their father ever since their mother passed away. At this time, Lilith could only use Henrik’s body to hide against their father. He would never strike them but the yelling scared them, especially Lilith.

“Father, she--”

“She was at the church! I saw her come out of it. Oh, I wanted to be sure that it wasn’t her but that hair of hers… That hair of hers reminds me so much of Celine’s, your mother’s, that there’s no way I could mistake her for someone else. No! Lilith! Why are you going to that church? That’s a human church; non-magical people go there to worship! That has nothing to do with you!”

“Papa,” Lilith’s voice was small and she was so afraid to speak up, “Papa, you don’t know the story…!”

“Story? What story?”

“The story about Samher!” She was becoming a bit more confident in her statement but not enough to leave her position behind Henrik. “Papa, the witches were so cruel to the humans! The story goes that witches ruled the humans’ lands and they couldn’t turn to the witch Goddess. They were helpless! Did you know we witches made contracts with demons back then? It’s why we have magic!! They used that magic to oppress humans more than protect themselves!!

“And then Samher came to aid the humans! They protected the humans from the cruel witches with his power and love!”

Henrik then turned around to face Lilith with a confused look on his face. Lilith could, for a moment, see how he had matured quickly already as he worked with their father side by side. The look he gave her made her doublethink her words but she already made this far. She already told them the story about Samher, but it’s not like they would understand. In the two years’ time she spent with Deacon, she had learned a lot about the main differences between humans and witches, besides the obvious. For the fact that the humans were treated so poorly, and for her family to understand it, she started to understand that maybe the whole thing about becoming a witch was indeed wrong.

“Father, please, understand me…! Our family has demon blood! Demon blood! That’s bad!!”

However, her father was quiet. Henrik was quiet. Henrik stayed in his place in front of her but his arms were no longer outstretched as they were before. He seemed to be a bit lost on what he wanted to do while in this position. He didn’t say anything. He was past the age where his powers would start showing off but he hung his head and started to shake.

Finally, their father spoke.

“Then you are the most wretched of us all, child. You’re the only one alive in this family that has the magic that you do. And, because you’re so weak-minded, you’re turning against your family, your own heritage.”

“So, they’re right. They’re right that we have demon blood and that we have contracts with demons… I-I don’t know if I can live in such sin anymore, Father…!”

And then he struck her. This time Henrik didn’t step up to defend her but he struck her against her face. The force was so hard that she fell over and cried out. She couldn’t even see it coming - just a big blurry blue bob aiming at her.

“Go to your room, child.”

Lilith couldn’t get up but the tears flowed out of her eyes. It hurt that her father would strike her. Why did he strike her? She wanted to save them.

However, her feelings and her face hurt. She could feel how swollen it became quickly as she put on her glasses. It was hard to do so but she ignored the fact it tilted on her face. She ignored the fact that she started to cry.

“I’m not a child! I’m Lilith Moonfell and I’m eleven years old! I’m going to quit and become a member of Samher’s people! Our people did so much harm, Father, that I have to go there… I have to make up for what we did to the humans!”

“Child, you will go to your room and stop talking about this nonsense. This ‘religion’ is a farce. Have you forgotten your studies so quickly?”

“Stop calling me a child! I’m older than Henrik!”

Henrik continued to stay silent. He continued to stay in that position as the scene before him unfolded. Lilith continued without hesitation.

“Father, everything I study is a demon’s work! It’s all demon’s work!”

“Don’t raise your voice at me!”

“It doesn’t matter because I’m renouncing my witchcraft!! I’m joining the nuns at the church! That’s where I belong, after all! That’s what Priest Deacon told me!”

“Who the hell is Priest Deacon? Is that the one who’s been putting such things in your empty head?”

“Father-- n-no, Mister Moonfell… I’m not Lilith Moonfell anymore--”

“Shut up, Lilith!” Finally, it was Henrik’s time to talk but he stood up and turned his body around. He clenched his fist and he seemed to be hurt by the statements around him as though he didn’t matter. “Why are you saying such hurtful things about us? You’re the only one who has decent magic! You’re calling yourself a demon but you’re the most powerful one in our family! What would Emery think?”

Someone took a step back. Lilith’s tears started to stream quicker down as he brought up their elder brother’s name.

However, Lilith knew that she couldn’t stay in the house any longer. Between Henrik’s comments, her sure new-found faith, and her father’s strike, she had no choice but to leave. She couldn’t live in a place where they would use her brother’s name against her like that. The only person who ever brought up Emery was Lilith - Henrik was too young to really understand it. Her father was too focused on her mother’s failing health. Lilith was the only one who thought of Emery… it was her job and now, it seemed she was truly no longer needed.

The blue-haired witch ran out of the house, even though her father tried to stop her. Even though she didn’t have his agility and height, she knew the town of Frostkin better than he did. She had her small body to make it easier to hide within the crowd. She even released a strange looking fox from its cage to distract both the townspeople and her father who was still at her heels.

The only thing she wanted was Priest Deacon’s arms. He was the closest thing to Emery as she was going to get. It wasn’t fair that Henrik invoked his name in such a way. 

And yet, even when she arrived back at the church, the only arms she ran into was Emeline’s. She was confused and Lilith couldn’t even hear what she said. She just heard the pain of her heartbreaking - she had to make a choice eventually. Maybe Priest Deacon didn’t approve of it… but he surely must have when he showed up and told her father to go away.


	6. Episode Six: The Call to Threat

Once Lilith woke up, her eyes hurt from the crying she had done the night before. The bed that she occupied was next to other beds that were already made, with their blotches of white and yellow, and she could kind of tell that she’s not the only one who rested in that room that night. She felt a little embarrassed as she realized that she probably wailed into the night in her sleep, even, or she must’ve slept through everything. The room itself seemed to be quite large with about four or five beds as far as she could tell and one of them faced something akin to a wardrobe.

Lilith sat up and looked down at herself. She saw that she still wore the clothes she had put on. She hadn’t bathed since the day before so she imagined she must’ve smelled quite bad but all she could focus on was the memory of the day before. It pounded and the area where her father struck her, the only time, throbbed and still felt it swollen. She thought back to that moment when Henrik didn’t defend her. He didn’t say anything other than using Emery against her. She brought her small legs to her chest and was surprised at herself when she realized she still could cry. She closed her eyes and sobbed into her legs.

She didn’t know what was going on anymore. The only thing she could say for herself was that Henrik was correct - she was the most powerful witch in her family. And thus, she was the one with the most demon magic within the church. It’s **her** fault the humans suffered. Everything that led up to her birth was in her favor and it hurt the humans who could barely defend themselves. Lilith didn’t understand why her father and Henrik couldn’t see the demon that she was. She was only a young girl of eleven, about to be twelve, and she was in the pursuit of becoming more in tune with the demon’s magic. Was there holy magic? She couldn’t help but wonder that as she continued to sob into herself.

This place was strange and she wanted to go home. But she didn’t want to face her father or even her brother again. By now, they would’ve surely sent Emery a letter explaining the situation. It’s her fault things turned up like this - she had to be cursed with this magic. It’s her fault that she was pushed in such a way.

“Are you okay, child?” a small familiar voice echoed out.

_Stop calling me a child! I’m **not** a child! I’m a demon!!_

She wanted to say that out loud so much but all she could do was cry into herself. She wanted to disappear. If she could turn into a ball, she would bounce away. Could the demon’s magic grant that much for her? She didn’t know who the figure was but they would eventually sit down and touch her hair very gently. Not even her mother would touch her so softly, so Lilith couldn’t help but slightly jump at this touch.

“I’ve spoken to Priest Deacon about what happened,” she started and Lilith then realized that the voice must’ve been Emeline. She would be able to come in, wouldn’t she? Emeline was also the only nun that she knew, after all. “He said that you’re joining us… is that true?” Lilith tried to control her sobs but when it was evident she wasn’t able to answer, the nun kept talking. “If you do join us, that means you can’t go back. You have to stay here with us, in this room. You’ll have to go through rigorous training to bind your magic. Are sure that’s what you want?

“I’m sure Priest Deacon told you a lot of things about our history and why such a religion as this exists, but that means you can’t perform magic. You can’t go back to your father and brother.” She exhaled before she could continue. “You have to give up your other brother, Emery, should he come home.”

This caught Lilith’s attention. She looked up and saw the blurry nun and saw that the nun didn’t even look in her direction. Then again, Lilith could barely see her so how would she have reacted anyway?

Her pink fluttered with realization. Was this a mistake? Should she have gone off to this church in a hurry? Should she have just waited for him to come home… if he did?

These and more questions went through her mind as the nun reached over to the nightstand and gave the young girl her glasses. Lilith hesitated on putting them on; she hated the feel on them. They were so heavy on her nose, on her face. Was this a demon’s magic too? She hated everything about this…In the end, Lilith decided to leave them off. Even though she was starting to get a headache from squinting again, she just didn’t want to wear them.

“I understand this is a big decision and I think that Priest Deacon should’ve warned you about this.” There was poison behind her voice that Lilith couldn’t identify, but recognized it. She knew that Emeline didn’t like it when they brought up Priest Deacon and each time she said it, there was almost a snarl to each end of the name. Lilith can’t understand her anger towards him. Was she jealous that Lilith got his attention? Though, she seemed to have picked up on her anger and exhaled out. “Look, I don’t want you to make any rash decisions right now. From what it seemed like yesterday, you had quite the conversation with your father.”

Lilith wanted to hide. Was it that obvious who her father is?

“He’s not my father anymore; you just sa--”

“I know what I just said, so I’m going to continue to call him your father. Please, trust me, little one.” Emeline finally gave her eye contact. She finally put on her glasses so the nun’s face was a bit clearer. She could see how the nun’s face was more concerned than the anger she seemed earlier and Lilith felt oddly more guilty about what happened. “Priest Deacon doesn’t know what’s best for you. I don’t know what he said to get you to trust him or to love him as you do. You’re too young to fully understand everything. I just need you to tell me what he said to get you to trust him.”

“Huh? Why? Priest Deacon didn’t do anything wrong.”

She released another sigh. “Yes, he did. Little one, please just tell me. Don’t question me, just tell me what he said. I must know. I promise I will do everything in my power to help you as much as I can. I just need you to tell me. Please… Please, little one.” Emeline seemed rather desperate that she leaned a little too close to Lilith. It made her feel uncomfortable. She didn’t understand what Priest Deacon did was ‘wrong’. He was kind to her and listened to her.

“You’re scaring me. H-He didn’t do anything. I don’t understand, Emeline. He didn’t do anything but kiss me. He promised me he would take care of me when my older brother couldn’t.” Lilith tried to calm herself down. She certainly didn’t want to go home - her swollen cheek couldn’t be ignored… but this church was the only place she really could be in. “Emeline, please… he didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t touch me or do anything that made me feel bad!”

Emeline couldn’t help but get frustrated. “I wish you could see what I see, but until then, you’re a stubborn one, aren’t you?” Lilith was confused. 

“Huh? Emeline? What are you talking about?” Emeline got up with clenched fists and an angered face. Lilith became scared and even scooted away from her without falling from the bed.

“You can stay as long as you want, little one, but I will keep an eye on you. Don’t tell Priest Deacon.”

Emeline left in a hurry and left the scared child there, unsure of what the nun just determined. Lilith sat there and even when another nun came with a tray of food, she didn’t say anything. She still had tears left to cry. What else could she have done? She wanted to tell the Priest what just happened but that look in Emeline’s eyes scared her. When she saw the nuns come in and out, they acted like they didn’t realize she was there.

But she refused to get up. She refused to leave her bed. Even when it was time for bed, Lilith didn’t move. She didn’t know who to trust anymore. The one person she could trust was no longer in Frostkin, after all.


	7. Episode Seven: Song of the Demon

Lilith refused to go home. Days turned into weeks and finally, into months and soon it was her birthday. This would be her first birthday without her family, and yet the third year without her mother. She didn’t want to say she was getting used to the idea that Emery might never come home. No one brought news about the war. Anytime someone tried to update either Emeline or her superior Amylin, the nuns would try to hide it.

Sometimes, she would see someone that looked like Henrik pass by the church but Lilith could never figure it out. As she learned throughout her time at the church, there were many people in Frostkin with blue hair - which, of course, didn’t mean they were related. They had different colored skin and she didn’t remember seeing them at the funeral or any other events. Then again, not everyone in her family had the same skin color even hair color… regardless, she was surprised at the number of people who showed up to the church over the year.

And she’d lie to herself if she didn’t admit to herself that she missed her younger brother and her father. Did they think about her at all? Were they so eager to give up on her? The thought made her feel sad, and strangely, angry. For someone who supposedly had more magic in their body than everyone else, they sure didn’t show how much she was worth it.

Maybe it was easier that way. Maybe, with her gone, they were able to save money for themselves. Would her father take a break? Henrik usually went with the flow but Lilith was the one who always told her father to take a break.

And then she remembered the slap on her cheek. It had long since healed but sometimes there was a phantom pain that made her remember how much it hurt. She’d develop a habit to rub that spot anytime she reminisced about her father.

Her father had been terrible at expressing his emotions, even when her mother died in her room, she hadn’t seen him cry once. Even during the proceedings, her father remained seemingly unbothered. Lilith remembered she would scold him in front of Henrik, but Henrik always defended him.

“Child, did you finish sweeping the sleeping area?” Amylin asked as she walked into the room. She wore the standard nun uniform but Lilith saw her own dark pink eyes as something familiar. Her own eyes were a bit brighter compared to hers… She wondered if her eyes would change color like that. The woman’s dark green hair peeked out of her habit and it was as full as the day she was formally introduced to her. When she saw that Lilith was still in the middle of the room, she gave her an annoyed look. “Come on. Hurry up. You’ve already missed breakfast and there are so many chores to do before service this afternoon.”

Amylin wasn’t tough on her but Lilith felt bad, regardless. Ever since that day, she’d been trying to work harder and do more chores around that church. They started her small and it was only recently they had her start cleaning the sleeping area fairly recently as her birthday neared.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Amy--Sister Amylin! I was just thinking about my birthday and what I should do.”

Her birthday… she thought about her first birthday in the church again. How did humans celebrate birthdays? How did the nuns celebrate birthdays? This gave her a bit of excitement that seemed to replace the sadness that was dredged up from earlier. Maybe her family might show up after all. Lilith was sure these nuns had families they celebrated with, right? Plus, maybe she shouldn’t think of the nuns as a new family, but more family members.

“Don’t worry about that right now. We’ll talk about it during supper time, okay? For now, just finish cleaning up.” Amylin gave her a small smile which made Lilith feel a bit happier about her situation. Then the nun turned around and left Lilith, who started to sweep a bit more than earlier. Even though she wasn’t going to be with her father and brothers, she was here with Amylin and Emeline.

And even better, she was here with Priest Deacon.

In the course of the time she’s been at the church, she never realized how busy Priest Deacon was and how her previous visits prevented him from his duties. She did feel a bit bad but felt even happier now that she was here with him. She couldn’t distract him as much and she could talk to him whenever it was mealtime. That’s one thing she took solace in being away from her father.

If he had gotten that mad over her coming to the church, then she didn’t want to know how he would’ve reacted if she had fully admitted she had feelings for the good-looking priest. More than anything, at the end of it all, she realized she made the right decision. Priest Deacon may be older than her, Emery’s age even, it only made Lilith work harder.

As she finished sweeping, she could feel herself become hungry. The promise of seeing Priest Deacon at the meal table, along with her place next to him, made Lilith ensure she did a good job. She didn’t want to be scolded by either of the nuns - they were under a lot of stress since some new nuns were planning to come to stay at the church with them.

Once she finished, she threw away the dust from the dustpan and placed them in their proper place. She rushed to the bathroom, which was close to the sleeping area, to wash her hands and hum cheerfully to herself. Even though she had only been there for a few months, Lilith quickly learned about how loud the hallways could be even when people think no one could hear them.

“What did you send to the High Priest Ignace? Emeline, how stupid are you?!”

“Amylin, he needs to know what his son is up to. She shouldn’t be here. It’s not right.”

Who shouldn’t be there? Lilith’s attention was piqued and she quickly turned off the faucet. She even crouched down by the entrance of the bathroom to prevent the nuns from seeing her. 

Thankfully, then she heard the footsteps stop. Lilith tried her best to pay attention to both her surroundings and to what the nuns said. She only recently acquired this skill since living here in the church. She listened intently.

Amylin let out a frustrated sigh. “You say that, but you know what happens when the conversion number is low. She’s been the only witch to come to this church. Everyone who came here is refugees from that war over the--”

“Then fudge the numbers! Amylin, fudge it! We can’t let that happen here! This town wouldn’t survive and you know it! We need to protect this town. What good are we as nuns if we can’t even protect the people here?”

There was a bit of silence as Lilith raised a hand to her mouth in shock. She didn’t know exactly what was going on but from the desperation of Emeline’s voice, Lilith was unsure what to think.

Finally, Amylin spoke.

“The damage has already been done when you sent that letter to him. Judging by his response, it seems that he’s going to come by before the end of the month. At least, then we’d be able to fix this.” She sounded angry but badly tried to hide behind a more worried tone.

“Well, fix what? He knows about his son’s indulgences so he should do something about it!”

“You don’t understand a thing about the high priest, do you? Oh, Emeline… Just be prepared to be disappointed. Actually, be disappointed now. Don’t trust these men, especially the high priest. We’ll be lucky if they slap Priest Deacon on the wrist.”

They resumed their walking and the two nuns lowered their voices as they passed the bathroom. Lilith was confused. Even though they allowed her to sit with the priest during mealtimes, they truly didn’t like their closeness, did they?

Slowly, she came out of the bathroom and headed towards the eating area - the same smooth benches Priest Deacon introduced her to when they first met. What did Priest Deacon do to deserve such ire from the nuns? Was it because of their closeness? Did they not understand how lonely Lilith had been, especially since her mother passed away? And did they forget how much Lilith sacrificed to be with him?

Confusion easily turned to anger towards the nuns. She did think of them as big sisters - but from the sounds of it, all they saw her was a helpless child who simply doesn’t know any better. Did they even want her there?

As she made her way to the eating area, these thoughts and more plagued her and she tried her best not to let that conversation bother her. Who was this high priest, Priest Deacon’s father? In that case, maybe Lilith should appeal to him more - she was going to become a nun to prove that she’s a child of Samher and she’s worthy of being called a sister.

Eventually, she reached the mess hall and followed the line of the nuns who waited to get their lunches. The lunch wasn’t anything too special - it was the same as always; a mixture of beans and rice, and if she’s lucky that day, some bread. Even though there were other nuns, especially since they had their sleeping areas, they rarely if ever interacted with her. They notice her, but if they had something to say, they never did.

Once she got her food, she sat down in her usual spot next to Priest Deacon and the older man smiled at her gratefully, as he always did. She adored this man - the way he looked at her was a way she realized boys around the town never looked at her. It’s certainly not the look of an older brother, as she remembered his promise.

But, Lilith wanted to continue this relationship between them. He’s the only one who has ever understood her. Her father and brother certainly didn’t and that’s the sacrifice she made. Emeline and Amylin seemed to plot behind his back - but as Amylin suggested, it’s possible nothing would happen to him. Nothing would happen to their relationship.

The only person that understood her was gone. He wasn’t here and at this point, it’d be foolish to hope he’s even alive. There still hasn’t been any word about the soldiers who left. How hard was it to send a bird? Emeline didn’t seem to have a problem doing it behind anyone’s back. A slap on the wrist… that’s all she got.

Just like Priest Deacon will when his father came, Lilith started to understand that more as the meal went on.

Today, Lilith scooted closer to Priest Deacon and even reached over to grab his hand when it was free. This surprised even him and he smiled at her and squeezed her hand tighter.

He must’ve sensed how extra affectionate Lilith was so he leaned down and kissed her on the head. The nuns around them either pretended not to notice or they did, and they didn’t say anything. Those who reacted must’ve been jealous. That’s all they were - jealous.

Some of them could leave the church but from what Lilith learned, the rest couldn’t and that’s why Emeline and Amylin were so against their relationship. Jealousy… jealousy could haunt even the nuns of a holy structure.

She tried to be as close to Priest Deacon as she could and tried to be extra affectionate towards him when he wasn’t busy. However, the more affectionate she was towards him, the more bothered the two nuns more and more.

 _Good_ , she thought to herself as she placed herself closer to her with him. They were in the garden where she had her first kiss with him. At this point, she figured it out that it was them who eavesdropped on them and now she relished it. She hoped they looked with their envious eyes and knew they could never do anything. Lilith was aware she didn’t have any power of her own - but instead, she was protected by the power of Priest Deacon.

“You’re unusually affectionate today, little Lilith. What’s the occasion?” he asked softly. He was almost breathless and almost enamored with the amount of affection that was given to him on that day. He laughed just as softly as he spoke - perhaps, Lilith was late to realize that maybe he knew about them eavesdropping as well.

She felt a little bashful but she answered his question normally. “Oh, I-I just felt like it! Plus, my birthday is coming up soon! It’ll be here on the 24th…” She suddenly got nervous after he looked at her with his deep blue eyes; eyes that she always found herself getting lost in.

“That soon, huh? We should definitely plan something!”

“Also, also, I want to be a nun, Deacon! I want to be able to walk outside with you!”

Priest Deacon couldn’t help but laugh at that request. “You can always leave the church with me, little Lillith. You don’t have to be a nun to do that.”

“But I want to!”

“Now, now…” He hesitated and then gave her a brighter smile. “If you become a nun, we can’t be together. There are rules to this sort of thing, little Lillith. You’re just someone who lives here wi--”

“No!” Lilith stamped her foot to the ground. “I left my house! I gave up witchcraft!” However, as she stamped her foot against the ground, some water started to form underneath her. “I’m going to be with you, Priest Deacon!”

The puddle below her continued to grow but Lilith was angry. The powers that be took away her brother for a war that she didn’t understand. Her mother succumbed to her illness and no longer resided in this world. Everyone in this church, but Priest Deacon, did not want her to do anything about their relationship - or even become a nun.

“I’ve had enough of people telling me what to do! I want to do it! Please make Amylin teach me how to be a nun! Tell Emeline to butt out of our relationship! It’s just us, right? Please, Priest Deacon! No one listens to me! You’re the only one who does so you **have** to understand me!”

The more she ranted, the bigger the puddle beneath her feet rapidly became. However, the more she went on, the water started to swirl around her foot and some water even stood up. It froze in its place as it took the form of spikes.

But none of them hurt Lilith. They pointed outwards instead and, worst for him, it pointed mostly at him.

Lilith shut her eyes as she kept stomping the ground and even cried in between her words. At this point, Priest Deacon didn’t know what she was saying anymore.

But the spiked water started to reach his seating spot so he had to do something.

Finally, he forced her into an embrace. Some of the spiked water grazed him, but if there was blood, it was out of sight. He felt her hot tears against his chest and she wrapped her arms around him and he patted her blue hair.

Once he had his arms around her, she wailed into his chest. The water around them splashed as though it just rained. He shushed and he hushed her as gently as any lover would.

“If you really feel that way, I’ll go ahead and talk to her. Just… go to the sleeping area and go relax, okay?” He gave her some more pats and finally, she let go of his embrace. With her fogged up glasses, with love in her pink eyes, she rubbed the tears from her eyes and slowly nodded as she understood his instructions.

He let her go and she followed his instructions to the letter as she grabbed her hair and walked back to the sleeping area. There may have been some nuns who yelled at such a ‘lazy child’ but Priest Deacon was the one who gave her instructions and his word was above theirs. No matter what they think, and no matter what they say, their words don’t matter.

It was always Priest Deacon’s words that did.


	8. Episode Eight: You'll Surrender Your Heart

It was nearly dawn when Lilith opened her eyes suddenly. She didn’t intend to fall asleep in her room, much less for that long. However, she didn’t have much time to think about anything when she saw Priest Deacon opening the wardrobe in the room.

She yawned as quietly as she could as her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she reached for the glasses she took off. Lilith realized soon that it must’ve been too early for bedtime since the nuns weren’t in bed either. She didn’t feel very rested but once she saw Priest Deacon, she started to feel a bit happier again.

“Priest Dea--”

“Come on. Get up. We have to leave now. That cow of a nun alerted my father behind my back and it looks like he’s coming.”

As she approached Priest Deacon, it was then he started to throw things out of the wardrobe - nun uniforms, blankets, and other miscellaneous items that Lilith couldn’t recognize.

“What are you looking for?” Lilith asked quietly. There was something strange about Priest Deacon that she couldn’t put her finger on. He acted differently and more frantic than before though she gathered as much as he went through the wardrobe.

“I’m looking for something important. Go get your clothes. Surely, they gave you some, didn’t they?”

“N-no… They only gave me a nightgown…”

He finally turned around with a strange-looking box that had a keyhole in the middle. It reminded Lilith of her mother’s box when she was younger but she didn’t know what happened to it after she died. The slight thought of her family made her a bit sad - she didn’t want to think about them any more than she had to.

“That’s it? Then don’t just stand there. Go get it. I found what I was looking for.” He placed the strange box underneath his arm as he started to leave the room. But right before he passed through, he turned around and gave Lilith a gentle smile, something she was more familiar with.

And yet, she didn’t feel at ease at all. She hadn’t been there very long and all she wanted to do was be with Priest Deacon.

She started to run out of the door when she saw him still waiting near the door. When she looked up at him, she noticed that he wasn’t as tall when she first met him but his eyes still pulled her in as they did that first time she saw him.

“I… I forgot to tell you, sweet Lilith, meet me in the garden. Keep this between us, okay?” He gave her a gentle smile.

And it still didn’t put her heart at ease.

Regardless, she nodded her head and headed back inside the room. Even though he’s not his usual self, it’s clear that they had to move quickly.

She felt a bit sluggish from her impromptu nap earlier but seeing those eyes of his made her want to get to him faster.

When she arrived back at the room, she went back to her bed and grabbed what little items she had which weren't much. She only had the aforementioned nightgown and maybe some trinkets she found on the ground. Some of the nuns scolded her and tried to take them from her but Lilith ended up finding them again. She pocketed them and kept them hidden under her mattress for luck - luck that only Priest Deacon would look her way.

She would have to steal a bag from one of the nuns. Lilith looked around for one and saw one. It seemed to belong to maybe Emeline but it didn’t matter. The only nun Lilith could think of that always went against Priest Deacon, against her, was Emeline. She wouldn’t miss her if she disappeared. She always wanted her to leave anyway - what’s a missing bag for her troubles?

Lilith furrowed her brow and she tried to fight her tears as she forced her eyes shut. If her eyes would stay open, she knew she would cry and she knew she would stop herself from leaving.

Once she grabbed the bag, she immediately put everything in the bag. She couldn’t see if there was anything else in the bag itself - she wouldn’t care. It wouldn’t matter. All she had were these little trinkets and the nightgown that was provided. It was bigger on her than it looked but she knew she would eventually grow into it.

As long as she’s with Priest Deacon, that’s all that mattered.

It didn’t take long for her to pack everything she owned, including the clothes on her back. Once she managed to get it closed, she threw the strap over her shoulder and ran out as quickly and quietly as she could.

Since she didn’t want to rouse any additional suspicion, she made her way towards the garden where she’d share her first kiss with him. The garden that had its flowers wilt in the ending of the season and where she would ultimately decide to live here at the church, but it seemed as though that another beginning was starting.

As she went through the church and tried to keep the bag as conspicuously hidden as possible, she felt light even with the weight of the bag. It wasn’t heavy but it certainly felt that way with how her adrenaline pumped and how sluggish her movements felt as she tried to hide.

It was the same number of nuns on that evening - it seemed they had just finished supper which explained why they all seemed to have come out of one place - and Lilith had to be smart about this.

“ _You must return home! This man is no good!_ ”

This strange voice, a voice she hadn’t heard in months, caused Lilith to completely stop in her tracks. At least this time, it sounded familiar to her. Was it because she had heard it before? Or was there an inflection in that voice that reminded her of someone?

Certainly, it couldn’t have been Emery. The war continued. The war… the war was still going on. Of course, she wasn’t so naive that she thought the war would wrap itself up in only a few months or so. It could take years before the war would end. And that’s only if Emery was still alive…

But the voice wasn’t Emery. It couldn’t have been. The voice sounded nothing like him.

“I don’t have time for this. I can’t return home! I definitely can’t now!” Lilith whispered to the voice as her response. “I can’t return to that demonic place!”

Once she saw a chance, she took. She scurried as quickly as her now tired feet could take her to the garden where her precious Priest Deacon waited for her.

Eventually, she made it there and let out a relaxing sigh as she closed the door behind her gently. Gently enough for the noise to blend in the gossip of the nuns as they took to their nightly duties.

Lilith grabbed her hair and combed through her blue strands with her fingers - mostly to make sure that it wouldn’t get caught on any of the brushes of the flowers. Her pink eyes had to take time to adjust itself to the darkness. She clutched her bag and hoped that voice wouldn’t come back.

It was there when she first arrived and now it was here on the cusp of her departure. What was its purpose? Why wouldn’t it speak in the duration she was there?

And most importantly, where was Priest Deacon?

With her hair in her hand, she gripped that. She adjusted the strap of the bag to ensure it didn’t fall and then she walked down the path of the garden.

In the daylight, it’s easy to navigate without worry but the darkness highlighted their overwhelming shadows. The bushes and trees were taller than they were in the sun and the flowers’ shadows reminded Lilith of tentacles trying to ensnare this young beauty.

This only made her grip her hair tighter. The imagined horror of this eleven-year-old gripped her imagination more than her hope of finding Priest Deacon until she noticed the sound of dripping water. When did that start happening? Did someone forget to turn off the faucet for the gardening hose?

But soon she realized that the path in front of her started to glow and soon she started to realize where the drips came from - the water started to drip unnaturally upwards instead of downwards. It was a small carpet of light as it didn’t reach that far. At most, the glowing carpet reached about a few feet ahead of her.

A step. It was safe.

Another step. It was still safe.

Every step she took, the glowing carpet moved ahead of her and illuminated the area more than she expected it to. It was benevolent to be sure but she was even more surprised that it came out of her.

“No matter what, I’m always going to be a demon…” her mutters trailed off as she took the next few steps. The light, however, did turn the shadowed giants and tentacles to something more ‘normal’ - they were the regular bushes, trees, and flowers after all.

For all the ‘demonic’ magic she seemed to possess, it did its best to protect her in this darkness as she searched for Priest Deacon.

As she searched high and low through the garden, she just couldn’t seem to have found him. She tried her best to quash any thoughts of him leaving her behind in this church - he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t! He just wouldn’t!

Lilith quickened her pace and, still, the glowing carpet followed her until she was about to turn a corner. Something stopped her - it’s better to say it was an invisible wall that stopped her. It seemed to have made the glowing carpet disappear and that made her blink once, twice, and three times.

She wasn’t sure why it disappeared but soon enough, she saw a lantern at someone’s familiar height. When she realized it was Priest Deacon, she could feel her entire body relax. Lilith ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

Lilith wasn’t going to admit she was scared. If they were running away from the church, there’s a chance wherever they were going, it was going to be a lot scarier than walking through the garden at night. She had to show him that she was a brave girl for him. And she was a brave girl for their relationship, as forbidden as it was.

“Priest Deacon! I was looking for you! I’m ready to go!” She let go and looked up at him. Lilith ignored the disinterested look on his face. “I’m all packed up! Where’s the carriage?”

He finally sighed and lowered the lantern to her level as he squatted. His gentle blue eyes made her blush as he gently smiled. He raised a hand to rub and pat her head gently. Then his smile disappeared.

“Follow me.” He stood up and started to lead her to the carriage. Lilith was too happy to think any more about the situation although she did idly wonder how he managed to gather everything in such a short amount of time.

 _No matter! It’s no matter at all!_ Lilith thought as the two reached the carriage and Deacon opened the door. He allowed Lillith into the seat first and she could feel herself shake.

She felt excited and oddly scared, about the upcoming trip. It was going to be just the two of them - away to live in their forbidden relationship together. Once she was inside, he closed the door behind her. Confused, she turned around and stuck her head through the window.

“What’s going on?” she asked Deacon. She was confident to drop the Priest as she was sure that abandoning duties at this church would cause him to finally drop that saintly name. He shouldn’t have anything else to devote to anymore, right? After all, she dropped her demonic habits for him. He should absolutely drop his heavenly habits for her.

He placed his index finger against his lips. “I’ll only be a few minutes. Don’t worry, Lilith.” Her heart skipped a beat when he said her name and in such a whisper that made her heart flutter. “Please be patient.”

But a few minutes was too long for Lilith. However, the excitement wore her down. She promised herself to lay her head against the window and only close her eyes for a few minutes - because when she woke up, she would see Deacon first thing. And he would no longer be a priest but the prince she deserved.

A smile covered her face as she felt something warm cover her body. Maybe it was a blanket he brought or it could be her mother visiting her and she had wanted to bless her for it. After all, she felt a gentle pair of lips on her forehead.


	9. Episode Nine: Once the Bubble Bursts

It took some time to get comfortable but eventually, Lilith grew used to being in the carriage for long hours. A few days had already gone by since they started that journey. To be honest, Lilith was worried that when she woke up, Deacon would abandon her and left her for dead at first. When she woke up though, she was relieved to find that she was still there with him.

She was delighted to wake up. On the other side of the carriage, Deacon slept peacefully with his collar undone - possibly signifying his abandonment of the cloth - Lilith blushed scarlet red. It was a bit of skin she’d never see of his and there’s only days away until her twelfth birthday. Lilith still didn’t quite understand why they left in the first place but she was glad she was here. That means that they were going to celebrate together and, better yet, without interruption from Emeline or any of the other nuns.

She continued to stay silent during the ride. She tried to study his sleeping face but she felt the awkwardness of her glasses pressed up against her face and she had to take it off. She squinted her eyes and pinched herself to help herself feel better. Lilith did her best to stay as quiet as she could. She didn’t want to disturb the ex-priest’s sleeping so she did her best to stay quiet.

Lilith relaxed, though, as she decided to look outside the carriage after she put her glasses back on. She did idly wonder who drove the carriage - did priests have any wages? But then, she didn’t see the box again after she saw him in the wardrobe. Eventually, she would conclude that he must’ve sold it to commission a carriage driver.

 _Wow… he keeps making incredible sacrifices… for me! For our relationship!_ The mere thought of them being together caused Lilith to blush a deep, deep red and she could feel her face warm up. Immediately, she put her hands on her face and felt immediately how hot she felt. _How can anyone see us as anything but pure love!_

She decided she needed to cool down. After the young girl looked around, Lilith eventually found the window and opened it up as quietly and quickly as possible. She tried to keep it cracked enough for them not to be cooled down too much by the changing wind but she didn’t want the carriage to become so stuffy that it would cause him to wake up and be bothered.

The air was indeed as cool as she hoped and she heard the horse nicker and neigh as they trotted along the dirt path. She had never seen a horse up close before - Henrik had once talked about seeing them at work but Lilith was never allowed to go and see it for herself. Even though she still didn’t get a chance to see the creature up front, for the fact she could see the giant creature from her corner gave her a sort of wonder. She couldn’t help but smile brightly at the thought of telling Henrik.

_Henrik, Henrik!! I got to see a horse, finally!_

Then she remembered what happened yet again. She could never truly go back, could she? She was the third member of her family to leave them behind. First her brother, because of the war, and then her mother, because of her illness; and now Lilith, because she was in love with a dangerous man. Once she realized that, her smile slowly dropped down to a frown. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned her head perfectly next to the cracked window.

Deacon continued to sleep peacefully, unaware of the sadness that sprung up within her.

_We’re really leaving Frostkin. Is it really that bad for us to be together? Why can’t Emeline understand? Why can’t his father understand? … Why can’t my family understand? …_

The deep sound of the horse’s noises and hooves, the sound of the creaking wheels, the creaking carriage, it almost pulled her to sleep again. She didn’t know what time it was but as she thought that, something seemed to glow next to her head. Her pink eyes blinked and saw that it was a clock - a clock that she was familiar with.

The clock that sat on top of the shelf of her study room. It was an analog clock that was supposedly passed down from generations from her father’s side but she would always remember seeing it in her dreams. It always ticked and tocked. It never rang - Lilith knew one could use it as a timer, but there was no point. Her father would yell if he was home to hear it, to turn that “damn thing” off.

And yet, it floated by her head with a glowy outline of it. She was so shocked that she let out a yelp and quickly covered her mouth. She nearly jumped back and it only came closer. The outline of the ‘clock’ was accurate in its time and its placements: 13:12. It was past midday.

Once she read the time, the ‘clock’ disappeared with a smokey streak. Lilith tried to ‘wipe it’ away because she could tell it was rousing Deacon up. But thankfully, all he did was turn.

Before she could be relieved though, the carriage suddenly stopped which caused Lilth’s small body to fall on the ground while Deacon was pushed around until he woke up.

His blue eyes were wide-eyed and his hair suddenly got messed up.

Normally, Deacon had his hair slicked back in an attractive style but since they had been on the road for a few days, it became greasy and out of place very quickly. They haven’t stopped to take a proper bath - sure, they were able to use the restroom and to eat, but the stops were often very quick and it became utterly clear that the two were on the run from something. Deacon never wanted anyone to ask them who they were or where they were going. Then again, they never stayed long enough.

Lilith winced in pain as she slowly tried to pry herself off the ground. Her glasses fell off her face but she could see it at a distance - it didn’t seem like it broke. If it broke, she would've been right out of luck! Deacon had all the money to help them survive but she would never know how much he had on his person.

“What was that?” he asked angrily as he tried to make sense of what just happened. All Lilith could do was groan in pain as a response.

The question wasn’t directed towards her. Immediately, Deacon made motions to unlock the carriage and stormed out while yelling and asking the mysterious driver what happened and why the carriage suddenly stopped. There was some yelling outside that Lilith couldn’t understand but she was busy crawling and trying to reach over to get her glasses.

Suddenly, the yelling died down once she finally put them on. Before she could fully get up though, Deacon suddenly opened the door and he looked extremely distraught.

Frankly put, he looked nothing like how he usually did. His face was stretched to an annoyed look on his face. It was probably better to say that he was angry. He was extremely angry that it frightened Lilith. She attempted to let out a gasp but then he reached in and grabbed her.

Lilith was somehow quick enough to grab her bag in the meantime and fell again as he dragged her out of the carriage. She yelped and yelled in pain. The blue-haired girl couldn’t grapple with what was happening but she had to keep up.

Without regard to her body, Lilith fell down the carriage’s steps and onto the ground. He’d long since let go of her hand and had immediately gone towards the front of the carriage.

It hurt and Lillith could feel some blood fall from a gash of her face. She reached up to soothe it and tried to keep the blood from getting on her clothes, but as soon as she touched her face, she felt wet.

Not from the blood, but from something that glowed on her hand. The only thing that went across her mind had been _Please not now! I can’t let him see me like this!_ After the glow disappeared, she opened her eyes - surprised she even closed them in the first place - and realized she wasn’t hurting anymore.

“Lilith! Get over here!” Deacon’s voice was much harsher than she’d like but she’d listen. She’d always listen to him.

Once she’d finally reach him, she saw there were a bunch of white horses with a very regal-like appearance. There’s no way this was any royalty, though!

She had always known how small she was but never **this** small. However, she knew she couldn’t cower. It had only been days since she saw the scary and shadowy tendrils of the shadow flowers - and she was right on the money knowing that she would have to face something much scarier.

But she had to be strong. She had to stand tall in front of whoever this was.

“This is the child you’ve chosen. This is who you’ve chosen to throw your entire priesthood away, Deacon.” The voice didn’t seem to be the type to ask questions. The white horse trotted in front of her and Lilith had taken a couple of steps back - horses were way bigger than Henrik originally described.

The man who rode the horse was way different than Deacon. Unlike his current state, this older man would’ve put the orderly Deacon to shame. His hair had strands of silver patched through it and even though his skin somewhat sagged and was almost a carbon copy of Deacon, something was missing.

“Father,” Deacon simply said. He clenched his fists in his presence but Lilith got the feeling she needed to take those steps forward. She had to stand by him but something held her back.

“Don’t you want to become a High Priest to the king one day? Why are you throwing away an entire career for **her**?” He never looked at Lilith. “That nun who sent me that letter had clear… how do you say… emotion about what’s occurring in Frostkin. Have you thought about the conversion numbers even once? She mentioned that the child here is also a witch! How splendid, you’ve done something that most witch hunters can only dream of!”

Finally, he gazed at Lilith. Unlike Deacon’s kind eyes, his eyes made her want to cower. But she stood her ground.

_Witch hunters? Capture my heart…?_

But she couldn’t back down. Her legs shook and her palms started to cover in sweat.

He stopped his horse and finally dismounted. He walked with a sort of grace Lilith read in stories - not the kind that would sweep her off her feet but the kind of darkness that would envelop her if she didn’t watch her feet.

This man walked around her and inspected her. Every movement she made was pronounced and especially the movements she didn’t make, Lilith tried to control her beating heart. Needless to say, she was frightened.

“Hm, I see, she is indeed a cute witch. She will grow into a beautiful woman if you feed her right, exercise her right.” Lilith blinked and was confused. “Have she started her flow yet?”

Lilith’s face became beet red. Suddenly, a giant bubble protected her and not Deacon. Deacon barely responded to the comment before this happened but she didn’t want it to happen.

The horses, humans, and even the carriage horse were surprised by the surprise magic before them. Deacon was knocked back and was angry. He let out a curse but Lilith was surprised how much this bubble kept everything out - every word was muffled, even that man’s laugh was muffled.

Because he was so close to her bubble, it was easier to hear him.

“Oh, you’ve picked a powerful one! I’m guessing she’s the only one in that hill-billy town you’ve managed to convert. Really, Deacon, have I raised you to be so weak? The singular witch you’ve converted is the one you fell in love with and she’s a child.” He poked her bubble. Lilith did half-expected it to pop but it bounced back to him like rubber. “Quite. Perhaps you **do** take after me after all.”

“I didn’t fall in love with her, Father! I-I was just going back to the convent to teach her to be a nun. That’s all!”

_Huh?_

“Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place? Come, we’ll escort you. And once she’s old enough, and once we take out the devil’s magic, she can be a suitable wife for you.”

“A-and, what of Frostkin?”

“Well, it seems that its priest left his place to run away with his love. It seems it’s not a suitable place for Samher after all. Let us go back to the convent. It’ll take a few weeks longer to wash all this filth down.”

_Huh?_

And the bubble burst. Lilith didn’t know what just happened. All she knew that whatever Deacon said wasn’t true.

He did love her as she was, right?

_Suitable wife?_

_Convent? But… I thought… he was against the idea of me being a nun…?_

_What’s going on? Destroy Frostkin?_ _What is going on?!_


	10. Episode Ten: Guilt of a Corpse

How many days has it been since that day?

Lilith didn’t know; she couldn’t tell.

When she woke up, she was in the middle of something of a crater. It was too small to be a crater but she could tell there were some changes in the environment. She must’ve made this dent in this world. Lilith had a very hard time trying to piece together what happened as she tried to take in the sight before her. 

While trees and other environmental surroundings were heavily damaged, there were some human and horse bodies strewn about - but none of them were people she recognized before. There was certainly blood, amongst other things, scattered around her. Immediately, Lilith had to hide her eyes from the sight.

She wept for them. It was extremely hard to tell how long she wept there. Lilith’s guilt completely overwhelmed her. Dirt had mixed in with her tears as she berated herself for being a demon. Because of her, these people had to die. Even though they were with Deacon’s father, even if they intended to possibly harm her, they were still **people**. They had lived and worse yet, the animals had nothing to do with the situation at hand. And yet, their carcasses littered the area.

And still, the world turned.

She had to learn how to dig graves in those days. It was the least she could’ve done for them. Her head throbbed and waned as she did that. When her magic tried to make her digging easier, Lilith would get angry. She’d curse and she’d cry.

It’s because of this magic that caused that bubble and it was this demon within her that exploded and killed these people. Surely, they were probably not fully innocent, but again, **they were still people.** This is the result of the magic she was forced to bear. She had this type of power the whole time, but her father merely wanted her to study it. Was it a form of control? Was that the purpose of a Master?

Regardless, Lilith did something unforgivable. Samher would never welcome Lilith back into his kingdom when she dies, whenever that was. She didn’t deserve His kindness, but she had always known that it wouldn’t have happened. There was hope that she could somehow repress her magic for Deacon, formerly Priest Deacon, to be a true believer of His.

She apologized to them as she buried them as best she could. Her hands bled and blistered. It hurt every time and it took her a long time to do it. And she still didn’t finish burying them. Lilith decided to bury the humans first. It was hard because the body parts had scattered around them - she didn’t know whose part belonged to who. She apologized once more every time she placed the body parts with the body. Sometimes, and she would realize it way too late, she put more body parts in one grave than the other but she did her best to clean it up.

Once she was finished with the humans, she sat down on the ground and cried once more.

How long has it been since that day? She wouldn’t know; her tiny body shuddered and shivered and ached and waned. Lilith could tell that her body was vulnerable to the elements but she just let the air blow through her and the poor witch wanted to perish here. She thought she deserved it.

She could see all the animal bodies she had yet to bury and felt her body fall to the ground.

Lilith was exhausted. It’s easy to say she was exhausted but she was far beyond exhausted. She could see which blisters burst and which had yet to. She saw where rocks and sticks had scratched her and where bugs haad bitten her. Her blue hair covered her mouth and it was thick and heavy. Her glasses fell to the ground and it had long since been dirty. Everything felt heavy. She had to take off her bag long ago but she still chose to lie here next to it.

It only contained the nightgown. It felt somewhat heavier but perhaps it was because she was so weakened by the burials. She had to eventually do the animals soon or the bigger animals would come and attack them.

_Let them come. I’m a demon’s child after all. Samher would’ve never accepted me._

A darker side tried to taunt Lilith and she wanted to listen. It was comforting to close her eyes. It was comforting to be resting at this spot. If predators came and took her away, she would’ve been okay. She’s a demon’s child with demon magic.

Perhaps that’s why her mother had gotten ill - Samher wanted to punish her for her crimes. She was a witch too, wasn’t she? After all, her father’s magic was never strong in the first place. Her mother was probably the stronger of the two but Samher decided to take her away as punishment. And so, she expected death when Lilith allowed herself to succumb to her tired body. It ached, it hungered, it thirsted, but it needed rest.

\----

Somehow, Lilith woke up once again in a strange place. She realized it was comfortable and, in a room, where she didn’t recognize anything. Her bag hung on a post of the bed casually. Her head pounded even more so and she could barely see anything. Frantically, she looked for her glasses only to find it on the nightstand next to her. Lilith did notice she wore the nightgown that was in her bag but she was more curious about where she was and who brought her in.

Her heart managed to find the energy to slam against her chest the less she saw a sign of life in the room she was in beside herself. The thought of a stranger finding her terrified her and letting her live… there had to be some kind of cost for it. To her, things were worse because she just **could not move**. The more time passed, the more

Lilith turned her head and saw that it had been night the entire time. However, instead of the creepy nights that lingered around Frostkin, this darkness was almost calming.

Too calm.

It was too calm.

But Lilith couldn’t find the strength to get up. She also saw that there was a full moon that peeked through the curtains of the window. They were simple red curtains and seemed to be made from cheap material - not that it looked bad. It was just cheap. For some reason, that stood out to her and it was oddly soothing to the young witch. Her arms and legs ached from all the burials she had done before.

Lilith turned away from the window and started to look at her person. For the most part, her body still had the blisters, scars, bites, and more from earlier, but her body was clean. She felt clean and she didn’t seem to feel any additional pain or anything else out of the ordinary.

But while her body was exhausted, her mind wasn’t. She wanted to get up and look in her bag. She didn’t know what could make it so heavy to her but she couldn’t move. She had no choice but to move. Lilith hoped that the person who saved her was a kind one, though already the fact they saved her in the first place.

She let out a sigh. Maybe Lilith would have to repay them in some way. Maybe she could explain to them that her town is in danger and it’s important she could get back. She had to warn them! Lilith had to warn them!

When the door finally opened, it surprised Lilith so much that she let out a gasp. The footsteps didn’t sound too foreboding to Lilith, but it’s not like she could move or anything. Whoever those footsteps belonged to, Lilith would have to face them no matter what.

Finally, she walked in. From what Lilith could tell, she seemed to be rather tall and had quite the bosom as well. Her wavy strawberry blonde hair was tied up in a way that could be described as a half-ponytail. It was still rather long; Lilith couldn’t imagine how it looked when it was all down. She looked rather tired and Lilith could see, somewhat, that she had green eyes. Her lips were rather pouty but she didn’t look particularly mad or anything negative.

_Did this woman rescue me?_

She wore an outfit that would be best described as a nightgown but it looked completely different than the one she currently had on. Her nightgown was much shorter than hers was, but it wasn’t as though she was ashamed of it either way. She seemed very curvaceous - much different than the women she had seen before in Frostkin.

Once she was fully in the room, she turned to Lilith and crossed her arms. There was a certain elegance to her that she couldn’t place, even though she seemed a bit lax in crossing her arms. Even if Lilith had the power to do anything, she just immediately got the sense that this woman could take her down right away. 

“Oh, so you’re awake finally.”


	11. Episode Eleven: A Moonlit Bath

“You’ve been asleep for quite some time, though, considering what you’ve done…” She trailed off and uncrossed her arms. She reached over to touch Lilith on the forehead. Lilith was surprised by how gentle and how warm her touch was. “Your temperature is back to normal.” Then, she released her grip.

The woman sat on the bed and Lilith didn’t dare to say anything until she could tell what kind of person she was. She may have saved her, clothed, and bathed her, but she didn’t know what her ulterior motive was in the end. It was scary enough as it was - she was in an unfamiliar place after killing so many people. Surely, Lilith would be up for punishment. It was obvious that a child like her was a demon. 

“What’s your name, child?” the woman finally asked. Her voice cut through her thoughts with such a fervor, she would never truly understand. Even though her voice blew its icy chillness, there was still a sense of warmth in her voice. Was this her power? Was this woman before her a witch?

Did she live alone because of that?

Lilith merely muttered her name - she didn’t give out her last name, just in case. She couldn’t be sure about this woman. She gripped the blanket that protected her as tightly as she could. Maybe it could protect her against this woman if it came down to it. She must have some sort of destructive power hidden within her - maybe once she learned how to utilize it, she could use it as a defense mechanism.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she realized how quiet she was. She had to fill the void as tension in her head started to build up again.

“What's your name?” Lilith stuttered as she tried to give the woman eye contact. It didn’t work but hopefully, the woman would still answer her.

“My name is Lavana Belfore. Surely, child, you must have a last name.” The woman was stern and her facial features didn’t change much. Perhaps she was being cautious if she knew about the damage Lilith had caused before. Was this a ploy by witches to know a full name before they can curse them?

Lilith’s grip didn’t lessen. It tightened. Her heartbeat must’ve made her ears a bit red but she couldn’t hide them. Everything she felt made her feel naked before this woman who watched her carefully with those green eyes.

“You are safe. No one will come to this cottage.”

And still, Lilith said nothing as she continued to grip the blanket. She hated that she was so tired from everything and yet, she was using the last of her strength to grip this blanket as hard as she could. Surely, this woman would understand her feelings.

However, she sighed and walked up to her and sat on the bed. She was closer and she somehow seemed bigger than initially thought. Lilith didn’t know what else she could do to help herself but prayed to Samher that she could ‘explode’ once more. Her green eyes bore into her pink ones and Lilith couldn’t look away.

Tears finally came out and dripped down her face. Whatever truth this Lavana Belfore looked for, she was surprised by what she found. Her green eyes fluttered when Lilith burst into tears as she screamed out incomprehensible words. She didn’t understand why she burst into tears like that but something within her broke that she could no longer hold back. It wasn’t anything Lavana did but possibly because of all the stress she had gone through.

She was terrified of this woman’s underlying motive, but her small body couldn’t contain all of the trauma of that day and the trauma afterward. It was too big for her small body to contain, this child of eleven. Or was she now twelve, the magic age? It didn’t matter because she committed an awful crime and it was something she would have to carry on her shoulders for the rest of her life.

Lavana wasn’t sure to do as this child cried. She seemed a bit uncomfortable at the scene before her but she still manages to get up and get close to her. She hugged the much smaller pre-teen and tried to comfort her as much as she could. Lilith didn’t care anymore and cried into the woman’s chest.

Lavana’s strawberry blonde hair wrapped around Lilith’s body and it was then she felt how small she was.

It had only been a few days ago when she heard a random explosion in the forest she took residence in. Lavana chose to live in the forest as soon as she could. If she didn’t need to gather prepared ingredients, if she didn’t want material goods, if she didn't have things like money, she would’ve been completely isolated from everyone. Alas, she needed goods and food and such to survive.

Regardless, she had to find out what was going on in that forest that caused such a disturbance. It had taken her a few days to get her supplies together because she didn’t know what she would have to face. Lavana had to face the occasional monster and wandering demon in these parts. She had never outright finished killing a demon - just made it scurried away.

And Lavana had barely survived that fight. The scars that she had gained from that fight burned with the memory as she geared up. 

Even through the fury she had for a phantom demon, she was surprised to see burials everywhere, including a decimated carriage, and a small blue-haired child in the middle of burying a horse. The smell overwhelmed Lavana before the sight did before she saw a child’s body on the ground. She would’ve considered her dead if she didn’t see her slight movement. How was this child able to sleep in this den of death?

Once Lavana finally took a good look around, she saw the small hole in the ground and immediately deduced that it must’ve come from this child. And then, she saw something that finally made her gasp - the child’s arm was swollen incredibly drastically. It poked out of her traveler’s cloak and to any other non-witch, they would see an oddly large bump on this child’s elbow but to a trained witch, they would know immediately what that was.

It seemed that the explosion deflated her magic bit by bit, from what Lavana could tell but she knew she had to treat it immediately.

When she picked up the fallen child, she felt so fragile in her arms and she was light as a feather but stiff as a board. Rather, it was most likely she felt the child’s bones because of how small she was. What had happened?

Most likely the Samher followers! Lavana must’ve thought as she looked around her surroundings for any other survivors. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she didn’t see any and decided to keep this blue-haired child close to her.

The adjective motherly isn’t something to describe Lavana, but she was certainly able to protect someone as tiny as this child. All she had was a bag and even though she knew better than to peek inside the bag, Lavana made sure to keep it on her strong shoulder. Thankfully, the journey to and from her cottage isn’t very long but once she made it home, she immediately took care of this child’s magical buildup.

From what she recalled of her mentoring days, magical buildup occurred when one hadn’t used magic actively - at least once a week. It would build up on the extremities and it could cause life potential issues. This child causing such an explosion didn’t make it go away. It meant that she wasn’t using her magic at all! This could endanger her life!

Lavana gathered everything she needed for what she needed to help her. She even had to open her own trainee grimoire to make sure that she had gathered the proper materials and followed her mentor’s directions as written down. Some of the ink had faded with time, even though it happened a handful of years ago, but thankfully, she could still read it. She put her hair in a quick bun.

After she sterilized her sharp knife, she made a very careful cut on the large bump. Lavana had to hold her breath to ensure this happened. She may look the way she did, but cutting people up was still a dangerous task. She did her best to make the incision as careful and precise as possible.

The blood came out of the bump and she immediately put pressure on it. The blood, she then noticed, had a strange sparkle - like what was told by her mentor. Her green eyes had widened and she was sure some of her strawberry blonde hair popped out of its bun.

It was truly a magical buildup! 

However, the process was very precise and thankfully, this child had fainted. She was unconscious so Lavana could do this much for her.

She continued to put pressure on it until the bump had gotten smaller and the sparkly blood had finally stopped. Only when the blood started to flow normally was her cue that she had managed to do it on time.

The incision she made was large enough for blood to come through but small enough for it to heal properly and become a natural scar.

And yet, this child still didn’t wake up.

She tried her best to feed her as much as she could. Lavana was sure that this child was awake here and there to eat and drink, but only to go back to sleep. As she watched over her, she noticed that the moon was becoming full.

Even though this child had blue hair, she had an inkling. She pulled her red curtains separately to let the moon in and its reflected light hit the child. It was then she finally saw how comforted she was.

“Hm, I wonder. But I won’t know for sure until she’s up,” Lavana said only to herself; a habit that formed from her time alone.

And yet, she was half-correct about her guess when she woke up. This child who cried into her chest seemed to almost ‘control’ her tears. Normally, when someone was foolish to cry onto her, she would feel the wetness of her tears.

But she didn’t. This could mean that Lilith was a water witch, similar to her own magic, thankfully.

One thing she didn’t want to do though, Lavana had to question her why she was in that devastated area in the first place. It’s going to be a hard conversation, Lavana feared, but she also didn’t want to tell Lilith about the worse dangers that lay in the forests. If they were Samher followers, they were those even the elite demons wouldn’t lock eyes with - and if she was a survivor of that, the demons would come after her.


End file.
